


Through the Woods

by Akira_of_the_Twilight



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Shifters, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Clint Is a Good Bro, Coyote Shifter Tony Stark, Half-Elf Clint Barton, Human Steve Rogers, M/M, Pre-OT4, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Steve Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Wolf Shifter Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-22 18:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12487836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akira_of_the_Twilight/pseuds/Akira_of_the_Twilight
Summary: A low growl warned Clint and Steve away.Steve went rigid. He seized Clint by the elbow and took up a defensive pose.A faint smell tickled Clint’s nostrils. Clint breathed in deep, picking up on the smells of woods, fresh and wonderful to Clint. There was a hint of canine, but with a tinge of something that Clint recognized, but struggled to compare to those unfamiliar with the odor. The closest he could compare it too was the air after a thunderstorm. It was the smell of magic.Clint took another step and another growl came.





	Through the Woods

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Feelingsinwinter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feelingsinwinter/gifts).



> FeelingsinWinter suggested for SSWH Month: "I’m thinking of some werewolves thingy? Maybe with two of them being already a kinda pack and the two others stumbling on them?"
> 
> It's not so much werewolves, but it's close.

“We should probably take a break.” Clint wandered over to a fallen tree and dropped his backpack onto the ground. The trunk of the fallen tree stood just short of Clint’s waist. Clint turned and plopped himself onto the bark, mindful of the patches of moss along the trunk.

His cherry-faced boyfriend Steve huffed as he gripped the straps of his backpack with determination. Sweat beaded along his forehead. He’d been gasping for breath for the last five minutes of their hike; he needed rest. Just because his body demanded rest, didn’t mean Steve headed his body’s needs. “I’m good. Let’s keep going.”

Clint would have rolled his eyes if he knew it wouldn’t set off Steve. He loved Steve, but Steve was sensitive about his physical limitations. When he’d been young, Steve had constantly been in and out of the hospital due to illness. Now that he was older, he didn’t visit the hospital nearly as often, but some physical tasks were still quick to drain him.

Clint mentally double-checked that he’d packed Steve’s spare inhaler in his bag as he responded, “I’m tired though.” Clint reached into his pocket for his cell phone and gestured at the gigantic trees that shaded and surrounded them. “I also want to take a few pictures.”

The pinch of Steve’s lips told Clint that Steve didn’t believe Clint needed rest or wanted to take photos, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he marched over to the tree and joined Clint. Steve inhaled deeply, and Clint smiled as he watched the tension in Steve’s body leave and the red hue of his cheeks turn pink.

Clint took a few pictures as promised then slid off the trunk. He crouched in front of his bag and pulled out a water bottle. He took a sip then handed the bottle to Steve. Once Steve took it, Clint didn’t give Steve the opportunity to hand it back to him. He straightened and wandered a few feet away to take pictures of a berry bush. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Steve drained half the bottle.

 _Good_ , Clint thought to himself. He didn’t want Steve to get dehydrated.

A canine whine came from somewhere in the woods.

Clint paused and cocked his head.

There was another whine accompanied by a third one. Both were plaintive and in pain.

Clint straightened and listened as a few more whines came from the woods then died down.

“Is something wrong?” Steve asked.

“Don’t know.” Clint went through a mental list of all the animals local to the woods. It could have been a couple of coyotes. Although, this wasn’t the time of day they were usually active. “I’m going to check it out.”

Steve nodded and slid off the tree trunk.

Exasperation and fondness filled Clint. He knew the moment he said he was going to investigate the noise Steve would follow him. There was no use in telling Steve to stay behind and rest either; Steve would never accept that. So Clint held his position until Steve had caught up with him, then he led the way to whining.

Clint kept light on his feet and focused on his hearing. The whines didn't come again, but as Clint and Steve neared the area where Clint suspected the whines had come from he detected soft shuffling.

The leaves of a bush rustled. Clint took a cautious step toward the movement.

A low growl warned Clint and Steve away.

Steve went rigid. He seized Clint by the elbow and took up a defensive pose.

A faint smell tickled Clint’s nostrils. Clint breathed in deep, picking up on the smells of woods, fresh and wonderful to Clint. There was a hint of canine, but with a tinge of something that Clint recognized, but struggled to compare to those unfamiliar with the odor. The closest he could compare it too was the air after a thunderstorm. It was the smell of magic.

“It’s okay.” Clint smiled at Steve as he pried Steve’s fingers off him. “I think I know what we’re dealing with.”

Clint took another step and another growl came. Clint marched forward. The growl grew the closer Clint drew, but the creature in the bush remained hidden.

Clint pushed back the bush. The wolf beneath the branches and twigs snapped its jaw at Clint’s arm while the coyote yipped in fright.

Clint jerked back and moved himself out of the wolf’s biting range. He kept the bush pulled back as he took in the horrific sight of the wolf and coyote. The two canines were covered in blood and curled around each other. The wolf bared its fangs as the coyote pressed its ear back and growled at Clint and Steve. The coyote tried to jump up but fell, its legs too weak to hold its weight.

The coyote’s movements gave Clint a better view of the wolf, and Clint spotted a stump where the wolf’s left foreleg should be. Clint’s mind went blank as he stared at the bloody stump in horror.

Steve cursed. He moved to step forward, but then placed his foot back down.

The coyote barked at Steve and Clint.

Clint dropped to his knees, startling the coyote and wolf. “All right you two, let’s get right to the point. You can growl and bark all you want, but you’re injured and need help. Also, don’t try to pretend that you two are your animal forms. I’ve met enough shifters to recognize the smell of magic that follows them.”

The coyote growled, but the angry sound was cut off by a whimper from the wolf. The coyote whined and nuzzled the wolf’s muzzle then licked it. Even as the coyote comforted the wolf, it kept a watchful eye on Clint and Steve.

“Clint’s got a place not to far from here.” Steve held up his hands to show that he had no weapons and meant no harm. “He’s also got a few things that can heal you. I speak from personal experience.”

“I found him in a ditch when we first met,” Clint explained to the canine shifters. He smiled at the memory. “Steve had been swearing like a sailor when I just happened to be passing through. Sprained his ankle _and_ his wrist. Still not sure how he managed both.”

“I told you, I had tried to grab something when I fell.”

“There hadn’t been a tree or bush nearby to grab.”

“Yeah, but if there had been, I would have grabbed it,” Steve countered.

Clint shook his head in fond exasperation. He kept an eye on the two canines. The wolf may have tried to bite Clint, but based on the way the wolf kept its body low to the ground, it was apparent the fight had been taken out of the wolf. The coyote was tense. It kept trying to comfort the wolf while it also played guard dog.

Clint had hoped Steve and his friendly banter might have eased some of that tension, but the coyote was hyper vigilant.

Clint took a moment to collect his thoughts then tried communicating with the two shifters again. “Listen, I know you’re scared, but you need medical attention. Let us help. Neither one of you are going to get far if you don’t get some kind treatment soon.”

The coyote took up growling again. The wolf lifted its head and nipped the coyote’s muzzle. The coyote stopped growling. The wolf emitted a soft rumble and laid its head on top of the coyote’s. The coyote sneered, but lowered it head and let the wolf cover it.

The wolf glanced at Clint and Steve. For a beat nothing happened.

The wolf briefly wagged its tail then dropped it.

Relief washed over Clint. “I’m going to take that as an okay to help you.”

The wolf lifted then dropped its tail.

Clint nodded and Steve scurried over to kneel beside Clint.

“We’re going to carry you. Steve will carry Coyote. I’ll carry Wolf.” Clint would have prefered to carry the coyote because the coyote so far had been the more volatile one of the shifters; however, the coyote was smaller. Steve would rip Clint a new hole for thinking it, but the wolf would be too heavy for him.

The wolf lifted its head off the coyote. The coyote tilted its head up and nipped the bottom of the wolf’s jaw then shuffled over to Steve. The coyote tucked its tail between its legs and lowered its ears. It was not happy with the plan, but it was yielding to the wolf.

Clint took a moment to consider if the coyote and wolf were pack. He knew that wolves and coyotes were capable of breeding together, but he hadn’t come across much material that discussed coyotes and wolves forming packs together. Admittedly, the two in front of him were not the average wolf or coyote though.

Steve scooped the coyote into his arms, mindful of the coyote’s injuries. The coyote growled, but the sound was short-lived.

“Sorry.” Steve cupped the coyote’s head. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”  

“Unfortunately, you’re both pretty banged up. Especially you,” Clint said to the wolf. “I’ll try to be as gentle as possible, but I gotta be honest, you're probably going to feel a bit of pain until we reach my cabin. Can you handle it?”

The wolf wagged its tail.

Satisfied and confident the wolf wouldn’t rip out his throat because Clint accidentally jostled it, Clint fireman-carried the wolf. Even with his preternatural strength, he wasn’t as strong as his fantastically-inclined ancestors, and the wolf’s weight dragged on his shoulders. He was swift on his feet, and once Steve and he reclaimed their bags, they headed toward the cabin.

Clint’s cabin was a small and located just on the edge of the woods and about a mile from the closest town. The cozy home fulfilled Clint’s needs to be near nature and humans (not that humans were the only creatures who lived in towns). Some days when he was feeling maudlin or poetic, he felt the home and its location captured Clint’s life perfectly—a betwixt.

The trudge to the cabin was long, but they did not rest, even if halfway to the cabin Steve had become flushed again. His breathing came out harsh, but he swore he didn’t need his inhaler. Shortly after Steve had said so, the coyote whimpered and licked under Steve’s chin. The coyote curled and tucked its head on Steve’s shoulder. Steve grinned and promised the coyote he would be okay.

It had been a tender scene, and Clint was pleased to see the coyote had decided that Steve was not a threat.

When they reached the cabin, Clint instructed Steve to grab a sheet and lay it on the couch. Steve rushed around the cabin with the coyote in his arms. Once he found a spare sheet, he spread it across the couch then set the coyote down on it. Clint then laid the wolf down next to his coyote pack mate (Clint had picked up on the wolf’s maleness when he’d carried the wolf).

The coyote scooted over to the wolf. It plastered itself to its pack mate.

“Just stay there,” Clint instructed and ran off to gather supplies. Clint had an entire cupboard dedicated to medical remedies that were more mystical than scientific. He gathered the jars he needed the returned to the living room where Steve was dabbing the blood off the shifters with a wash cloth.

Clint shoved aside the coffee table to make room for him to kneel in front of the canines. He opened a jar that smelled strongly of mint and other herbs. He looked at the wolf’s stump. It was a mess and most likely infected. “This is going to sting, but it will get rid of any diseases festering in your wounds. In a couple of hours I can apply another ointment that will speed up the healing process. It won’t regrow your limb though.”

The wolf didn’t make any moves that gave away his inner thoughts. The coyote nuzzled him. The wolf then returned the gesture.

Clint placed the ointment that would cleanse the wounds between Steve and himself. “You take care of Coyote.”

“Got it.” Steve picked up the jar and unscrewed the lid. He wrinkled his nose at the potent smell. At the same time the coyote sneered and made a gagging sound.

“Well, aren’t you just a little drama queen,” Clint aimed at the coyote.

The coyote snorted at Clint.

Clint scooped up a glop of the ointment and gently rubbed the ointment into Wolf’s wounds. Wolf bared his fangs, but kept quiet through the process. When Clint and Steve finished applying the ointment, they went to the kitchen to bring bowls of water to the shifters. Steve also brought a bag of beef jerky and offered pieces to Wolf and Coyote.

The two ate like they hadn’t had a meal in days.

Clint’s brow furrowed as he watched them devour the preserved meat. What the heck had happened to the two shifters?

Clint wouldn’t get his answers for some time. The shifters might be able to take on their human forms, but considering the amount of damage to their animal selves, it was probably safer for them to hold off on transforming until their wounds had healed. He wasn’t a shifter himself, but Clint imagined the process of the body literally reshaping itself made any injuries worse.

When two hours passed, Clint and Steve set about using the second ointment to close the lacerations. The smaller cuts vanished the moment the ointment touched the shifter’s skins. Coyote sniffed at Steve’s fingers as Steve treated a cut on Coyote’s thigh.

“You know, you’re getting in the way.” Steve gently pushed Coyote’s face aside.

Coyote nipped at Steve’s fingers.

“Hey!” Steve yanked his hand back.

Coyote grinned, showing off his teeth and letting his pink tongue hang out.

“Looks like your pack mate is a troublemaker,” Clint said to Wolf.

Wolf opened his mouth and huffed in agreement.

Coyote nipped Wolf’s tail and held the furry appendage in his mouth. Wolf huffed again and wagged his tail, dragging Coyote’s head along with the movements.

Clint and Steve finished treating Coyote and Wolf and left the two alone to rest. Clint and Steve hopped into the shower together. Their shared shower started off innocent then turned literally and figuratively steamy as their hands wandered. Chuckles were exchanged between touches and kisses.

As Steve wrapped his arms around Clint’s neck and kissed Clint under the stream of water, Clint could almost forget that they had guests just a short hallway away.

The floorboards in the living room creaked and Clint broke their kiss.

“What’s wrong?” Steve pushed aside the shower curtain to peer into the bathroom.

“I think our guests are moving.” Clint shut off the water. He grabbed two towels off the rack. He handed one to Steve and dried himself with the other then tied the towel around his waist. Clint exited the bathroom with the full intention of marching into the living room, but he stopped short when just outside of the bathroom he found a dark-haired, naked man who was searching through the linen closet.

The man shut the closet. “I was trying to find pants.” The dark-haired man was about the same height as Clint. He had strangely groomed facial hair and both of his arms.

“Coyote?” Clint asked.

“Tony, but you got some of the letters right at least.” Tony smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. Bruises marked his skin (the ointments had only been for open wounds).

“You’re the one who tried to bite me.” Steve popped his head out from around Clint.

Tony’s smirk grew. “I couldn’t let Bucky have all the fun.”

Despite his confident act, Tony’s knees wobbled with fatigue and strain.

Clint grabbed Tony by the shoulder and steered him toward the living room where Bucky was still lying on the couch in his wolf form. “Sit. You need your strength.” Clint pushed Tony down.

Tony huffed and crossed one leg over the other. “Relax. I can walk.”

“Not until we get something other than jerky and water in your stomach.”

“I’ll make soup.” Steve disappeared into the kitchen. He returned a second later. “Unless you need something more hardy. I assumed the soup would be good for your stomach.”

Tony waved off Steve’s concern. “Soup is fine.” Tony scratched Bucky’s ears.

Bucky rumbled happily. He tried to stand, but he lost his balance.

Tony inhaled sharply. He gently dragged Bucky’s front into his lap. He wrapped his arms around Bucky and pressed his face to the top of Bucky’s head. “Don’t scare me like that.”

Bucky licked Tony’s chin. In return, Tony nuzzled Bucky.

Clint suspected when it came to the term “pack mates,” where Tony and Bucky were concerned, there was an emphasis on “mates.”

“I’ll get you some cloths. Will Bucky need some tonight or will he need more time to heal before he can transform?” Clint asked.

Tony hugged Bucky tighter. “I don’t know. Maybe. Shifting isn’t just physical.”

Clint nodded in understanding. He’d grab an extra set of cloths for Bucky. “How big is he when he’s human?”

“Bigger than you.”

“Sweats it is then.” Clint strolled over to the bedroom and sifted through drawers and his closet. He pulled out his largest set of sweats. He grabbed one of his shirts for Tony. He debated if he should grab sweatpants for Tony too. Tony was about his size, but at a glance, his legs had looked shorter and they had different waistlines. Deciding to be safe, Clint plucked another pair of sweats out from the drawers.

When Clint returned to the living room, the smell of chicken soup was wafting in through the kitchen. Clint’s stomach growled. “Please tell me you’ve made enough for four people. I’m hungry.”

“I made more than enough,” Steve hollered. His footsteps padded around the kitchen. He stepped out of the kitchen. He asked Tony, “Can Bucky eat soup when he’s a wolf?”

“He should be fine as long as you don’t add fistfuls of spices to it.” Tony rubbed Bucky’s side, his fingertips brushed the edge of Bucky’s stomach. “His stomach might be sensitive.”

Clint set down the cloths for Bucky on the arm of the couch then handed Tony the clothes picked out for him.

“Thank you.” Tony accepted the clothes. “For everything.”

Clint shrugged. “Hey, other than risking getting our hands bit off, it’s no problem.”

Tony smiled as he eased Bucky off his lap. He stood and unfolded the loaned shirt. “Think of them of love nips.” He pulled the shirt over his head and rolled it down his stomach. He eyed the pair of boxers Clint had brought him, then held them up for Clint to see. “Really?”

Clint frowned. The boxers were a simple black. He didn’t see Tony’s problem with them. “What’s wrong?”

“You want me to wear your underwear?”

“Well, either your junk rubs up against my underwear or it rubs up against my pants. Either way, your junk is going to be touching something of mine.”

Bucky lifted his head and wagged his tail.

Tony huffed at Bucky from over his shoulder. “Yeah, very funny, right?” Sarcasm dripped from Tony’s voice.

Bucky wagged his tail more vigorously.

Tony exhaled an exasperated breath then bent to put on the boxers. “I hope you’re enjoying the view,” Tony mumbled to Bucky.

Considering Bucky’s gaze was all but glued to Tony’s posterior, Bucky was doing just that.

“Soup’s done!” Steve shouted from the kitchen. Clint excused himself to help Steve bring out bowls of food to the living room. There was a table in the kitchen where Clint and Steve usually ate, but due the their two guests being injured, neither were going to force the issue about where to eat.

Clint brought Tony his bowl of soup then seated himself cross-legged in front of the couch with a bowl of his own in his hands. Steve sat on the couch, his bowl of soup set aside for the moment so he could hold the bowl for Bucky. Bucky lapped up the soup with such speed, that he caused bits of soup to fly out of the bowl.

It was a content and amicable scene, and unfortunately, Clint needed to ruin it. “So what caused your injuries? Or who?” Tony and Bucky’s injuries were not that of a wild animal attack.

Tony tensed. His eyes swiveled around the room, a hunted look to them. “Nothing you have to worry about. Once Bucky is strong enough to transform, we’ll leave. You two don’t have to worry.”

“That makes it sound like someone is after you,” Steve pointed out.

Pride for Steve swelled in Clint’s chest. So Steve had caught that too? He was so proud of his boyfriend’s observational skills.

“Really?” Tony sipped a spoonful of soup. “Are you sure you are not paranoid? I hear that is a characteristic of those who like to live in woods or on the outskirts of town.”

“The gaslighting is a cute trick, but not appreciated,” Clint stated. He set his soup aside and leaned back on his arms. “I can’t make any grandiose promises of protection, but Steve and I will help you as much as we can. If it helps, I’m part elf. I may not be as one with nature as my ancestors, but I’m more hardy than the average human and there is a hint of magic to me.”

It was just enough magic to make his ointments and balms have their supernatural effects and not the same effects as treatments produced by non-magical humans who liked to practise kitchen magic.

Tony studied Clint in consideration then flicked his gaze to Steve.

Steve held up his hands in surrender. “I’m human.”

Tony was not pleased by the confession.

Steve lowered his hands, but he had gone from casual to irked in a second. “I’m human, so I may not have your abilities, but I still know how to throw punches, and right now I am in better shape than you.”

Tony’s eyes widened with surprise. The emotion was swiftly hidden behind a mask of indifference. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t need to.”

Tony’s jaw tightened. He tried to hide that he was scrutinizing Steve by only looking at Steve from the corner of his eye. He slowly lost the tension in his shoulders. “Sorry. I’m a little stressed at the moment. My asshole-ish behavior is usually more intentional. I didn’t mean to imply that humans are somehow inferior to shifters or any other species.” Tony sighed and slouched against the couch. “You’re right. Bucky and I went through hell, and I honestly don’t know if someone is chasing us or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were.”

“Do you know their name or why they attacked you?” Clint asked.

Tony grimaced. “Evil scientists. Got a few peons’ names, but not sure how much that will help us. Don’t even know why they picked us. I just assume we were in wrong place at the wrong time.” Bucky whined and Tony reached down to stroke Bucky.

Steve lowered the bowl he’d been holding for Bucky. Other than a few noodles, the bowl was empty.

“You should stay with us then.” Steve turned to look at Clint. All they needed was a look to confirm that they were on the same page. Steve then plowed on with his offer. “You don’t know if those guys are after you two. If they aren’t, then it’s not going to hurt for you to stick around here. If they are, then you should stay here for a few weeks. Give the scientists time to spread out their search. Make them think you’ve gone far away when really you’re still close by.”

“And if they show up at your doorstep?” Tony asked, his tone taking on a sharp quality. “You’d be putting yourselves in danger.”

Steve puffed up his chest. “We can handle ourselves. Unless that apology was all bark and no bite.”

Steve had put Tony in a corner. It was a dick move, but Clint would be lying if he said he was upset. Tony and Bucky needed help. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest move to keep the two around, but it was the right move. Clint only had their wounds and Tony’s vague statement to base his assessment on, but those alone spoke volumes. Tony and Bucky needed a lot more help than just some food and a place to stay for the night. If Steve pushing the issue was going to force them into accepting Steve and his help, then Steve could be a dick as far as Clint was concerned.

Bucky whined then licked Tony’s fingertips.

Tony’s expression soften. “I hear you.” Tony mumbled into Bucky’s fur as he hugged his mate. He kissed the top of Bucky’s head.

Tony rested his chin on Bucky’s head. “We’ll stay with you, but if it gets too dangerous, we’re leaving.”

“Deal.” Steve offered Tony his hand.

Steve and Tony shook on it.


End file.
